U.S. Under-20s Finish MLS Combine As Lone Undefeated Team

NewsJan 15, 2003

SUNRISE, Fla. (Wednesday, January 15, 2003) - The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team finished play at the MLS Combine yesterday with a convincing 2-0 victory over an MLS Combine team, and with the shutout win the U.S. finished as the only undefeated team with a combine-best 2-0-1 record.

The U.S. team will remain in Florida for another nine days, and are scheduled to play Mexico on January 23, and also take part in one additional match. More information on those two matches is expected to be announced shortly.

Four days after taking on Mexico in South Florida, U.S. head coach Thomas Rongen will head to the United Arab Emirates for the World Youth Championship draw that takes place on January 29 in Abu Dhubai. There the U.S. will learn their first round opponents and venue for the World Youth Championship that is scheduled for March 25-April 16.

Preparations for the World Youth Championship got off to a fine start in Florida, with help from two players who did not make the U.S. qualifying squad in November. Mike Magee recorded a point in each game and finishing with one goal and two assists, and Justin Moose, who played only four games with the U.S. side last year, added two goals.

In the marquee (and final) match of the four-team round-robin event, the U.S. outclassed the previously undefeated Mania 2-0, getting two well-taken goals from MLS standouts Ed Johnson and Santino Quaranta.

Quaranta struck first, benefiting from a beautiful Justin Mapp run that saw the Fire player tripped up 20 yards from goal near the left corner of the penalty area. From there Quaranta squeezed a bending free kick into the top left corner of the goal for his first tally of the new year.

Quaranta’s usual strike partner Ed Johnson spent much of the first half playing in the midfield with Magee operating as a forward, but Johnson moved back up top in the second half and quickly added to his scoring total. Magee helped set up the second goal, freeing Johnson behind the defense with a through pass. Johnson got in alone with the goalkeeper and seeing Kyle Singer off his line, lobbed the helpless goalie.

In the U-20s two previous matches at the MLS Combine, Knox Cameron and Justin Moose tallied in a 2-1 win on Monday, and Magee and Moose each scored equalizers as the U.S. twice battled back to secure a 2-2 draw in their opener on Sunday.

Ricardo Clark and Mike Magee both recently signed MLS/Nike Project-40 contracts and are available for selection in Friday’s MLS SuperDraft, which takes place on Friday (January 17) in Kansas City, Mo. at 3:30 p.m. ET. If both players are drafted as expected, Rongen will have 10 MLS players available for his selection, the most any U.S. Under-20 coach has ever had at his disposal.